27 Responses to Contact Me

Hi Chris,
What a brilliant website – I too have been bitten by the bug after watching The Secret History of Our Streets recently.

Myself and my parents live on Morat Street and I have been struggling to find any real info about it yet. We were told by an elderly lollipop man back when I was a child (and attended Reay School) that Morat Street used to be a red light area (I’m now not sure how true that is after looking on Charles Booth’s map!) and that Reay School was built on the site of an old pub that had been bombed – this probably is true as looking at Holland Street’s photograph from 1911, the infant playground looks like it also covers where the Dairy was as well.

So far I’ve been trying to find out details of when Morat Street was built and if they were purpose built as flats. I haven’t found anything about them until a photograph of the street in 1910 (http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/display_page.asp?section=landmark&id=8785) .
Voting information shows that the bottom flat in our house lived a man called Charles Harman & the top flat a man called James Traynor but no dates and no information on a middle flat.
Then the 1911 census shows that in the top flat, where my parents live today, James William Traynor aged 27 lived with his wife & 4 children (one born, I believe, in the flat!) and that he was a music hall artist – this made me very excited due to Lambeth being a famous area for Music Hall in that time period – sadly so far I have not managed to find any further mention of him. I believe that he may have died in 1934 aged 50, no longer living in Morat Street but in Hackford Road, married to another lady and leaving her an inheritance of £50. However, I am very new at this so I could be wrong!
Have you had much luck looking into Morat Street’s history? Also, any tips on how I could carry on the search for James Traynor?

James Traynor was my great grandfather. He lived in 31b Morat Street Brixton at the time of the 1911 census with his wife Isabell and children Edward, Louise (recorded as Louisa at that time) my grandmother, George and James. James Snr was 37 not 27 in 1911. Young George, then aged 5, became an Olympic athlete http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/tr/george-traynor-1.html My great grandmother Isabell was a Tiller girl or a Bluebell girl, and a music hall artiste. She and James Traynor divorced, and the family were sadly embittered. She outlived her daughter (who died in 1965) by a few years. My grandmother Louise (Louisa) worked in the theatre and travelled about, often leaving my mother with her not much-loved grandmother Isabell. My mother (Jill Traynor) also went into the theatre, working with Sir Donald Wolfit in his repertory theatre company. Nobody rich and famous, I’m afraid. Can’t give you much more at this time, I’m just starting on my family history voyage!

Great site Chris. Apologies if I have missed a reference, but do you know ‘London Belongs to Me’ by Norman Collins, recently reprinted as a Penguin Classic? It’s set in the Oval area at the start of the war and gives an interesting contemporary feel of life in the area (and London) at the time – worth a read!

Chris you have created a gem with this site. I grew up in the area, living in Chrysell road from the age of 3 -14 during the 1960’s and early 1970’s until our house was condemned and we ‘emigrated’ to Milton Keynes.

Christchurch was my primary school and I have so many happy memories there although as the years have gone by they are fading. I then went to the London Nautical until we moved. I have been back a few times and Brixton rd and around the Oval is much the same as my memory will allow me to remember. Chryssell Road was demolished and is now a different lot of housing altogether and is very nice. I often wonder what would have been different for my family had we stayed as mum and dad would not have moved unless we had to but in the early 70’s it was a tower block or nothing.

Our house had terrible damp and the basement used to flood every winter. I suppose the house was, in modern terms, uninhabitable. This must have been because it was situated right on where the old river used to run. But like I say this site has brought a flood of memories back and I will return to it often.

Hi Chris, I used to live in Chrysell Road at number 3. It used to be an old coachhouse. Opposite our house was a garage that was used by London Cabs, also next to this was a printing firm called Baynards Press. I went to Cowley Road Primary School and then to Stockwell Manor secondary school.

Hi Dave and William, I lived on the Church manor estate and remember Chrysell rd before it was demolished. Can either of you remember Blackwell St as it was off of Chrysell rd and farrar rd. My mother lived in Blackwell St but I can’t find it on a map despite being able to find farrar rd.
Thanks

I have sent you an email with some maps attached. Blackwell Street was originally called Baker Street and features on maps with this name up until around 1936. Between 1936 and 1939 the name was changed to Blackwell Street.

I went to Durand Infant school and then the Reay school lived at no.54 – Remember the rag and bone man and the roundabout on a cart and if your lucky a present of a gold fish in return for old rags – around 1950 onwards – anybody around that lived there during this time?

I lived in a prefab in Hillyard Street from 1949 to 1961. I was born in the prefab, I remember being told my Dad helped to build them when he was demobbed, I remember the rag and bone man and the goldfish he gave out.

Hi Chris
I lived at 7 Liberty street fom 1953 to 1969, there were six families living in our block and we lived on the ground floor. Opposite our house there was a place we called the wood yard where we kids used to hide in the piles of wooden pallets, which was when you look back was dangerous. Next to the wood yard was Freemans catalog factory. We used to play football in the road but had to be careful of the vans coming from freemans. Our nextdoor neighbour was a Mrs or Miss Rose who had lived there for a long time. Other families I remember were
then McGeevers, the MacDonalds, Mrs Thomas, the Hargreaves, the Hitchcocks and several more.
I went to Christchurch primary and junior school followed by Stockwell Manor comprehensive school.
I went back to liberty street recently and found it had changed beyond recognition, it had gone up market with gated accomodation where the woodyard used to be. I doubt if any of the people who lived there when I was there would be able to afforded to live there now.
I think a lot was spent on renovating the area after the Brixton riots but not for the benefit of the people who lived there then. It is now a very expensive street to live in and most of the original tennents who rented them have been replaced by a far wealthier person

I went to Christchurch primary and junior school and then onto Stockwell Manor comprehensive school

I’ve mislaid my copy of Kelly’s Directory for 1-3 Brixton Road circa 1930, so a Google search fortuitously revealed your website. I’m working on a book on Captain Marendaz, car builder, who was based at this address 1926 to 1932, but wanted to check a few details of the various occupants. I have a lot of information and photographs and various references which I’d be happy to share with you. I’d be interested to know if you have any details on the construction of the building itself, one of the first reinforced concrete buildings. I own two cars that were built on this site.
Any help gratefully received. Regards Graham

I lived in Blackwell St until 1960 when we had to move to Nunhead as the houses were being demolished. I went to the Reay School and Hackford Road.
We lived at no.25 and my grandfather at 27. Our name was Tuck and lived opposite the sweetshop, and I remember mr and mrs Harris, Mr and Mrs Nelson and others.
Remember the shop, with milk delivered from the dairy behind the shop on the corner of Chrysell road and Blackwell street. The Baynard press was behind our house.
We had a street party for the coronation . My mother worked at F T Pillivants Box makers in Cranmer Road. I was born in 1942 and left in1960. Janet Parsons.

This site is very interesting. I just moved in the north side of Brixton road and I would like to find an old photo where I can see the corner between Brixton road and Crewdson road. I have been looking for a while but I couldn’t find any, I’m thinking to make a print and hang it on the wall. Anyone can help me?

Hello, My father’s family lived in and around the Brixton Road. One of the stories from the early 1920s was of him visiting relatives who lived at the same address as appears in the Sherlock Holmes story of The Blue Carbuncle- 117 Brixton Road.
He also recalled visiting on Sundays, when the front room was given over to an aunt and uncle rehearsing their levitation act. He was mightily impressed, but was only a small boy at the time. I would love to find out who they were. We think they had a performance booth on the Kent Coast. As children my brother and I considered that it must be an inherited ability, and spent hours trying to levitate things- and eachother.

I went to the cowley infant school 1965-1969
then the old beaufoy boys school before moveing to Stevenage in 1970
went back to Brixton this year for the first time since 1970
I am looking for desmond rafferty who want to cowley school in 1965-1969

Thank you for all the painstaking research on your splendid site.
We’re researching my 4x great grandfather, who died in Chapel Street, now Mowll St. in 1826. Believe he retired there, and the dates of its development on the maps you show tie in perfectly: making him a very early resident of the street.
So thrilled!

How fascinating to read all of the comments. I lived in Cowley Road from about 1965 until 1973, went to Cowley Road Infant & Junior School, then on to Stockwell Manor. We had to move as many of the houses were to be demolished. My mum also worked there as a ‘Woman Helper!!’ as her title was back then (Classroom / Teaching Assistant nowadays!!) I recall helping her deliver the 1/3 pint milk bottles to classrooms in the mornings…. Teachers I remember were Mrs Taha, Mr Murrow, Mr Macmurray (I think), Miss Eisemann and Miss Tobit… I do remember Mr Coleman when he was Head Teacher. I recently met up with a friend who used to live in the same road and also went to the same school; we went for a trip down memory lane – I couldn’t believe the transformation of the whole area – although good to see some of the familiar, old buildings too. I’ll have a look to see whether I have any old photos of the school to share as someone had previously been asking about this (although can’t promise). Great site 🙂

Hello, I was at the Reay school in 1957. Our head master was Mr Walls. I was in class 2. We used to have stand under the clock in the main hall at home time if we had been naughty and wait untill a teacher came and let us go home.
My classroom was the art room upstairs. We were never taken on outings or anything and I played truant a lot with a friend in Mowll street. We used hop off and go to the Braxton Astoria cinema. Happy days.!